


He's Just A Simple Merc, Really

by VulpusTumultum



Series: DA one-shots & randoms [5]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Banter, Character Study, Gen, Religious Discussion, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 22:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4497351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpusTumultum/pseuds/VulpusTumultum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For July 2015 InquisitorsWeek day 2: religion prompt-</p><p>Sethras Adaar discusses his religious and philosophical views with Cassandra on the road.</p><p>*Cassandra Disapproves*<br/>*Solas Slightly Approves*<br/>*Varric Slightly Approves*</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Just A Simple Merc, Really

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically something that could happen early on in ANY of Sethras' story timelines, because these are pretty much his views in all of them.

“Herald Adaar, you are… very quick to correct some who call you ‘Qunari,’ do you believe in the Maker, then?”

They had been traveling quietly, but the question Cassandra asked had clearly been gnawing on her for a time. Sethras weighed his options briefly, then sighed, and shrugged slightly.

“Not particularly, no, but since it seems most of the rest of you think that playing up the Herald idea is what’s needed for me to be able to actually close rifts and stop swarms of demons rather than all of us winding up in cells or executed while the Chantry bickers and civilians are killed or possessed, I’m hardly going to go around correcting everyone that wants to think I do.”

Cassandra snorted, “But you will correct me, it seems,” she sounded at least a little amused as much as anything else.

“We’re going to be working together a little too closely to try and lie about it, Seeker. It’s probably going to be fairly obvious I don’t think much of the Chantry.”

She frowned a little, but didn’t respond immediately, though eventually she settled on some words rather carefully, “Believing in the Chantry is not the same as believing in the Maker.”

“I think that acknowledgment, if it gets out widely, will make you almost as popular with them as having a godless 'Qunari’ apostate  as the figurehead for the Inquisition, Seeker.” Sethras’ tone was the one of mild amusement that seemed his default response to the world in general.

“You’re sort of right, I suppose, but all I know of the Maker is what I’ve read in the book that’s handed out or heard Chantry Sisters and Mothers say, and none of it’s really been appealing to me, or been very heavy on the separation. Signing up to follow the Chant seems a bit like signing up with a company that’s led by some bitter Orlesian noble who didn’t inherit the title they expected, so decide to command and profit off common rabble in another way- Only humans will ever get promoted, and they talk about wanting their soldiers to take initiative and act smartly, but flog any who don’t jump to follow their orders without question. And their definitions of what’s honorable tend to change based on what keeps them in charge and getting the biggest cut of pay.”

“Do you think of  _everything_  in mercenary terms?” A bit behind them, Solas had made a slight coughing sound, and Varric hadn’t even been quite that successful at covering his chuckle at some of the observations- or possibly at the expression on the Seeker’s face, though he’d likely not admit that.

“Most things, I suppose. I don’t really have much experience with thinking in musical terms.”

“Now you are merely being flippant. Do you believe in  _anything?_ Beyond getting paid and being sarcastic, that is.”

“Insulting, but I suppose it could be argued I was asking for it. There may be a Maker, there may be Creators, there may be the Stone. But if they do exist, they’re existing fine without me, and me without them. I believe in clear contracts, doing my job, and in various ways,  _people_. Not always believing the  _best_  of them, because of the whole cynical mercenary thing, but they actually affect me, and I affect them, whether it’s in good ways or bad, and I can recognize and even control it all a little.”

“Hate to chip in with this, but when you talk about contracts and doing your job as a thing to believe in, that sounds a little, well, Qunari,” Varric finally actually joined in beyond the odd look or chuckle, and Sethras shrugged slightly again.

“Everyone’s got rules they follow and believe in to varying degrees. I’m a mercenary so it’s merc contracts and reputation, if I were a merchant, it’d be merchant contracts and reputation. The rules are laid out, I agree with some completely, and then there’s ones I think are stupid; that I’ll argue about, or that in emergencies might get bent or broken if it’s for a reason that seems good at the time- so nah, it’s hardly pointing me down a slippery slope that leads to Qun conversion. But at least being a simple merc, able to list and point out guidelines I’ll follow means it’s easy to identify common ground or the lack of it. Plus it helps avoid getting into too many long philosophical and semantic arguments about the phrase 'feels like the right thing to do at the time’ and what morality is and how it’s developed.”

“Tell me, Herald, do you do a lot of reading in your spare time?” The dwarf sounded somewhere between amused and exasperated.

“I think I’ve skimmed a few of your books, Varric, but nah, not really a lot of reading. Funny what you can pick up just listening to drunken arguments in taverns, though.”

“I can’t tell if you’re still being serious.”

“Who, me?”


End file.
